La duplicité de Tyler Perry

Interesting Amazon original movie.

It is a modest police thriller, in some ways also with a fairly predictable ending, which however has the greatest merit of addressing, in a fairly clear and understandable way, also some socially burning and politically always very current issues, namely the training techniques of police officers, the superficial and approximate way of closing certain legal cases through plea bargaining, the domestic violence and, above all, the racism.

Aesthetically, the work is very good, filmed in 4K, it is practically free from criticism.

In my humble opinion, it is worth seeing, provided that one has a certain indulgence towards certain glaring interpretative errors (even on the part of the protagonists, unfortunately). It is certainly not a boring movie, even if, as already mentioned, it lacks originality.

So Marley and her private investigator husband live in this really nice house. One day she gets mad at her husband and when he gets home, she's downstairs with a blanket and she informs him that he has to sleep on the couch. The only problem is that just by looking at the house, you know there absolutely has to be at least one additional bedroom in that house. Prior to this scene, he had made Marley some breakfast and told her "it's not much, but I made it with love". See, people don't actually talk like this in real life but I'm not sure if Tyler knows this. It's pretty cringe when Tyler tries to write using expletives and there's a little bit of that here. And TP knows absolutely nothing about nuance. He'll write dialogue like: "don't think I forgot that you faked that slip and fall 5 years ago and got that $32,000 settlement". Like bro...you've made a ton of money and I'm sure there's far more talented writers who just need an opportunity. How about you give them that opportunity?

I recently watched Tyler Perry's new movie "Duplicity," and I'd like to share my thoughts without giving away any plot details for those who haven't seen it yet. From the outset, the film's direction is fairly predictable, adhering to a familiar formula seen in many of Perry's previous works. As such, there isn't much suspense, and it's easy to foresee how the story unfolds.

While the cast comprises talented actors, the film ultimately falls short for me. Many of the issues presented are glossed over, lacking the necessary buildup and depth. I believe the movie would have benefited from more background information and character development, allowing viewers to connect more deeply with the characters.

The ending offers some action, but it's limited to the last 20 minutes of the nearly two-hour runtime. This leaves the rest of the movie feeling drawn out, with many moments where more development could have enriched the story. Unfortunately, this seems to be a case where Tyler Perry missed the mark.

The film had the potential to be great, but its lack of character development and predictability hindered its impact. One central theme, the issue of police shootings of unarmed Black men and the societal response to such events, deserved more attention and exploration. This aspect, in particular, could have been a powerful focal point.

I admire Tyler Perry as a director, but I feel that both he and his team often miss opportunities to delve deeper into important themes and character arcs. There are numerous elements in his films that could take center stage but remain underdeveloped. As a result, "Duplicity" didn't quite resonate with me as much as I had hoped.

I'm calling on all script writers and movie directors to take a little bit more time and flesh out a better "ending" for your films TV projects. A lot of of the shows and movies that I watch nowadays, including this particular movie, starts out interestingly enough and pique your interest with a plot that is filled with potential only to sputter out at the end. I mean, come on, let's just do a little bit better. Let's just put a little bit more effort into the endings of films and shows. These film developers are getting millions of dollars to create these projects and it's like - when it's time to write an ending or shoot the conclusion they just rush to the finish line. It's not impossible. I remember watching episodes of Game of Thrones or episodes of Better Call Saul and/or the Ozark and by the end of the episode, right before the credits roll, you just sit there with your mouth wide open. More shows and movies could strive to make people have that feeling, it's not hard. And everything does not always need to be tied into a pretty little bow - you can be a bit daring and shocking in your art, it's OK. These movies and shows lure us In with a good plot potential and then we get let down over and over and over again. It's getting tiring and folks are pretty soon, just going to stop caring (at all) about the projects you develop.

I honestly don't know what it is about Tyler Perry's movies, but he has a habit of hiring ridiculously attractive people who just can't act. Duplicity is no exception. The dialogue is painfully awkward, filled with lines that don't sound like anything real people would say, and the way the actors deliver them makes it even worse. Everything is over-acted. The entire movie feels forced, unnatural, and honestly, a little embarrassing to watch. Everything is off. Everything is melo-dramatic, overblown and just overall Youtube influencer type of acting.

The only reason I even gave this movie a chance was because of Kat Graham. She was great in The Vampire Diaries, so I know she's capable of delivering a strong performance. But here? It was actually painful to watch her act alongside people who seemed like they had never stepped in front of a camera before. Every interaction was stiff, robotic, and lacking any real chemistry. It's like they just grabbed random people off the street and put them in a major film with zero preparation.

On top of that, the plot is just messy. It's predictable, overly dramatic in the worst way, and full of cringeworthy moments that made me want to turn it off multiple times. I kept waiting for it to get better, for something to make it all worth sitting through, but it never did.

If you're looking for a well-acted, engaging movie, this is not it. It's frustratingly bad, and the only thing worse than the acting is the writing. Don't waste your time.